


when in the rain

by Mikkal



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: AU, And alternate canon, Could be taken as pre-canon, F/M, Fluff, Gen, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-22
Updated: 2016-11-22
Packaged: 2018-09-01 11:03:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8622082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikkal/pseuds/Mikkal
Summary: On her way home from work, Tina stops a suspicious looking person only to realize she stopped a no-maj saving a kitten from the rain.She lets them go on their wayOnly to realize too late that the cat is definitely NOT a cat.She just let a no-maj walk away with a freaking kneazle.





	

New York is dark and gloomy, rain pours down in sheets like it has been for what seems like all week. Tina steps out of MACUSA, umbrella in hand, and with a sigh, she walks out from underneath the awning into the rain.

  
It’s cold, too. Ugh.

  
She wishes she could just apparate, but nope, the law is the law. Instead she sticks to the building sides of sidewalks to keep passing cars from splashing her and tries to hurry her way home without making the raindrops sneak under her umbrella. Her shoes are almost soaked when she casts a repellant charm on them.

  
The streets are empty, only a few stragglers around. For the past couple of months there’s been a dark, ominous feeling engulfing the world to the point that even no-majs can feel it. So, at two o’clock in the morning, there’s barely anyone out, only a few people on the opposite side of the street hurrying along.

  
Except the tall, hunched figure walking at a relatively normal pace in front of her.

  
Tina narrows her eyes, suspicious.

  
They have no umbrella, not even a newspaper, to keep the rain off, and the way they hold their blue coat tightly makes it seem like they’re hiding something. In these dark times, that’s definitely not right.

  
“Excuse me!” she calls. The figure ignores her, or doesn’t seem to hear. Tina slowly, surreptitiously, pulls out her wand, keeping her grip tight around it yet under her coat. “Sir, excuse me,” she calls again, a little more firmly.

  
The figure finally stops under a light advertising business open 24/7. Chestnut colored hair, darkened by the rain, is visible, and now Tina can tell his coat is a more peacock teal color. He turns, eyes wide, freckles stark against his pale face.

  
“Yes, ma’am?” he asks. She’s not sure if she should find the fact he won’t meet her eyes suspicious or not. “Did I do something wrong?”

  
He doesn’t immediately attack her, but the way he keeps his coat pinned and bundled across his chest and up to his neck makes her wary. And he’s British. That’s...unexpected.

  
“What do you have there?” She manages to find a balance between casual and stern.

  
He curls inward even more for a second, looking small for a man taller than her, then, though, he turns towards her, opening his coat just a little to reveal a rather ugly kitten. It’s skinny and sodden, blinking bright gold eyes at her.

  
“Oh,” she says. “I didn’t realize. I’m sorry to interrupt you.”

  
“I’m sorry for looking so suspicious,” he says, pulling his coat back around the kitten. “I imagine that’s what made you stop me.” He shakes his head, hair slapping across his forehead. “If you don’t mind, I’d like -.”

  
Tina waves a hand. “No, no, of course. Get out of the rain. Enjoy the rest of your night.”

  
He smiles at her, soft and unassuming and utterly melt-your-heart.

  
It’s only after he turns the corner, still at that non-hurry walk as not to disturb the kitten probably, that Tina realizes, no, that’s not a kitten. That’s a kneazle. She just let a no-maj walk away with an unpredictable, highly-dangerous kneazle.

  
Graves is going to have her head.

  
Tina runs after him, turning to the corner only to find him gone completely.

It’s unlike her, but Tina can’t help but swear.

  
Loudly.

* * *

 

Queenie laughs at her. And then just laughs louder when Tina glares.

  
“You thought he was cute,” she crows, dancing around their apartment. “My Teenie found a cute guy she can’t stop thinking about!”

  
Tina puts her foot down. “Not the point! I let a no-maj walk away with a magical beast! My job is on the line.”

  
She calms a little, though her eyes still sparkle. “What makes you so sure he’s a no-maj? Normally you’re good at telling the difference, but you sound like you were a little struck by him. Cute and animal-friendly.”

  
Tina covers her face, cheeks heating up. “You are ridiculous,” she mumbles. The couch sinks next to her, Queenie cuddling close. “What?”

  
“What are you going to do?” she asks, suddenly serious. “You can’t turn him in. It’s not fair, he didn’t do anything wrong, right?”

  
She sighs, slumping back. “Right. But I don’t know how to find him. I can’t let him keep the kneazle. It’s a serious breach of the secrecy laws.” She rubs her cheeks, groaning. “And if I tell Graves, I’m out of the job.”

  
She’s already on probation for the New Salem incident. One little toe over the line sends the scales tipping away from her favor. And letting a no-maj make off with a magical beast is that toe.

  
“Don’t tell Graves,” Queenie says. “Find your no-maj and figure it out.”

  
“He’s not mine!” she exclaims. “If your plan is so simple, tell me about it. Tell me how I’m going to find one no-maj in all of New York?”

  
Queenie smiles and shrugs. “I dunno. You’re the auror.”

  
Tina scowls, only to laugh in the end. Trust her sister to be so ridiculous, but so charming and so utterly sure of herself that it makes Tina feel more confident.

* * *

 

Queenie’s right. She’s the auror. But considering the population density of no-maj verses wizards, there’s way more of them then there are of the magical kind.

  
So the completely oddity that it is to be sitting in _The Witch’s Brew_ two days later - the rain falling just as steadily as it has been - and to spot a familiar flash of peacock teal at the corner of her eye, is almost unbelievable.

  
She nearly chokes on her coffee. The familiar man is hurrying this time, still doesn’t have an umbrella though. Somehow she’s not surprised.

  
Tina leaves her coffee behind and dashes out into the rain, hastily pulling up an umbrella. It’s kind of pointless, though, her hair is already soaked.

  
“Excuse me, sir!” she yells. “Sir!”

  
The man pauses and turns around, eyebrows rising. “Oh, hello. You again. Can I help you?”

  
Tina did not plan this far ahead. She opens her mouth to demand the kitten to be handed over, then shuts it again because that’s just too ridiculous to say. She tries again with:

  
“How’s that kitten you found?” She leans the umbrella over him, having to reach a little higher. He follows the movement with his eyes, glancing up curiously.

  
“She’s fine,” he answers, sounding surprised. “Thank you for asking.” He glances away then back. “Er, was there anything else? Something wrong?” He’s nervous, twitchy. Kind of adorable, actually.

  
He seems nice enough and he’s cute enough. Maybe...Maybe Queenie’s not wrong.

  
She takes a deep breath, stomach flip-flopping, and takes a leap of faith. “Would you like to get some coffee?”

  
(this is strictly to get the kneazle out of the no-maj’s hands, she tells herself. No matter what Queenie says or how endearing this man’s confused smile is)

  
“I’m s-sorry?” he asks. “Would...Would I what?”

  
Tina gives him her best smile. “My name’s Tina, and I’m wondering if you’d like to get coffee? With me. Coffee with me, right now.”

  
Does she sound too desperate? She probably sounds too desperate.

  
He gapes at her, eyes widening. “Er, s-sure,” he stutters out. “Sure, I’d love to. I’m Newt.”

  
Honestly, his name gives her pause. Do no-maj name their children Newt? It’s rather unusual. Maybe it’s a British thing.

  
“Where shall we go?” Newt asks.

* * *

 

She takes him to a nearby no-maj coffee shop. Both of them silent, unsure what to speak of.

  
What was she thinking? Two meetings, only seconds long, possibly sinking into no-maj/witch territory that breaks _so many_ laws. She doesn’t date, let alone spontaneously invite cute British men on coffee dates.

  
She orders a black coffee. Newt orders a tea, following every stereotype everywhere.

  
He wraps both hands around his mug, glancing out his window at the rush of people and the pouring rain. She watches him, sipping her coffee silently. There’s something about him, something off. She can’t quite place it.

  
“You’re an auror, aren’t you?”

  
And for the second time today, he’s made her choke on her coffee. She splutters it across the table, making him leap to his feet and fetch some napkins, apologizing profusely.

  
“Sorry, Sorry. Didn’t mean - ” He wipes up the coffee. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”

  
“It’s fine,” she says, gasping for a breath. “You didn’t,” she lies. He snorts at that. “How’d you know I’m an auror?”

  
Guess that means he gets to keep the kneazle after all.

  
Newt shrugs. “Lucky guess, really. Seen plenty of you around before, back home. You all have that same look about you.” He glances at her face, then away again, sitting back down. “Not that it’s a bad look. On you,” he mumbles, ears turning pink.

  
Tina laughs. “Thank you for the compliment.” She drinks her coffee. “This means you get to keep your kneazle. I thought you were a no-maj.”

  
“A what?”

  
She raises an eyebrow. “A no-maj? No-magic?” He squints at her. “A non-wizard. How long have you been in the states, Mr. - ?”

  
“Scamander,” he offers. “Newt Scamander. And not very long, a week or so.”

  
“And you haven’t interacted with the wizarding community much, have you?” If he had, he would’ve heard the term before.  
He shakes his head, cradling his tea close. “No, not really. I turned in my wand permit, as requested. But I’m only stopping by. I’m on my way to Arizona. I had...I had a meeting, with some family first.”

  
“Why Arizona?” She leans forward. A wizard who doesn’t interact with the wizarding world. Who’s met numerous aurors before, enough to tell what they are without magic or anything else.

  
Newt adverts his eyes to the table instead of the window, mouth pressed into a thin line. “If you weren’t an auror,” he says eventually, slowly. “I’d tell you.” Honestly.

  
That’s curious.

  
Something dings in his pocket and he fumbles for it, suddenly ten times more nervous than before. If she weren’t so curious, completely endeared by him and his smile, she’d be suspicious and ask him about it (she’s going to stick to only being suspicious, for now, she’ll go to the questioning later, if she has to).

  
The dinging item is a pocket watch, gold and heavy as Newt checks whatever it’s telling him.

  
“It’s very nice to meet you, Tina,” he says, standing. “But I really must get going.” He turns, then hesitates, turning back around to face her. “Perhaps we’ll see each other again?”

  
She smiles at him. “I’d like that very much.”

  
And he’s gone into the rain, with a swish of his teal coat.

* * *

 

Queenie’s squeal that night is ear piercing.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Idk. I just want to write about newt and tina. You could take this as an alternate beginning to the movie.


End file.
